Bipolar coaxial coagulators are used to coagulate tissue during, for example, eye surgery. A bipolar coaxial coagulator includes coaxial inner and outer conductors separated by an insulating material. A pair of connector pins is electrically coupled to the inner and outer conductors and extends from the housing for connection to a socket of an electrosurgical generator.
A difficulty with bipolar coaxial coagulators has been to electrically connect the coaxial conductors to the spaced connector pins. An exemplary bipolar coagulator is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,002. In this device, the outer conductor includes an offset portion at one end. An opening is ground in the bend of the offset portion. The inner conductor is inserted through this opening. The inner conductor also includes an offset portion at one end. Connector pins are attached to the inner and outer conductors near the offset portions. It has been found, however, that the opening ground in the bend of the offset portion of the outer conductor creates a weakened section in the outer conductor, which may lead to premature failure of the coagulator.